


Egotistical Showoff

by ShadeofGreen



Category: Persona 5, Persona | Revelations Persona
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Spoilers, minor appearances of p1 and p5 playable characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-24 12:55:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13214214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadeofGreen/pseuds/ShadeofGreen
Summary: As a teenager, Hidehiko Uesugi swore to himself that he would never have kids. It’s not like he hated them. He’s kind and friendly towards the elementary school kids that he sees walking home. Hidehiko was a kid himself, and remembered all the times adults pampered and gushed over him. He just couldn’t see himself as parent material.Now, Hidehiko dated a few people, but things never got serious with them. Hidehiko knows he is a career man at heart, and starting a family weren’t on the top of his list.That is of course, he accidentally bumped into someone. It spiral from there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This originally started out as a spiritual sequel to Monkey Men, with Brown and Goro meeting each other (when the public is still on Goro’s side). Somehow, I combined it with another fan fiction I was writing, and it turned into a giant AU that couldn’t be stop.
> 
> Please excuse any spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes, and ooc-ness. Since this is an AU, good parts of canon got thrown out the window to the point it’s close to a canon divergence (it’s not tagged as one as the divergence for a reason). However, I will admit the timeline of events/ages could be screw up. Also, fun trivia: even though I have Goro admitting he lived in several foster homes (taken from the official localization IIRC), Japan also have orphanage like institutions for orphans to live in. I had lots of fun trying to incorporate that into this fic.

As a teenager, Hidehiko Uesugi swore to himself that he would never have kids. It’s not like he hated them. He’s kind and friendly towards the elementary school kids that he sees walking home. Hidehiko was a kid himself, and remembered all the times adults pampered and gushed over him. He just couldn’t see himself as parent material.

Hidehiko doesn’t have the patience or willpower to do the job right (not to mention he isn’t willing to waste part of his life asking someone where they left their slippers). When Yuka, the first of his high school friends got married and had a kid, he congratulated her for doing something he can never do, before pointing out how she would be airheaded enough to leave her kid on top of her car. Hidehiko thought that he didn’t deserve that slap in the face.

When Reiji, the second of his high school friends got married and had a kid, Hidehiko congratulated him as well, before opening his big mouth and joked about how he can’t wait for him to tell his son about this history behind his name. Hidehiko thought he might have deserved that punch in the arm.

Hidehiko pretty much didn’t say anything else other than ‘congratulations’ to any friends that got married after that.

Now, Hidehiko dated a few people, but things never got serious with them. Hidehiko knows he is a career man at heart, and starting a family weren’t on the top of his list. Besides, he didn’t want to break his fans’ hearts when they see he was off the market.

* * *

2014 was the turning point of Hidehiko’s life. The thirty-three year old man was in Tokyo for a few weeks promoting his job as a hit talk show host/comedian. That, and he was working part time with the Shadow Operatives. There were a few reports of small time criminals acting out of control between April and June, and they ordered him investigate the events (Hidehiko’s excuse? Chatting up the civilians for a future act he was working on).

“This is a waste of my time,” muttered Hidehiko under his breath, walking past people as he got out of the train. He talked with people (college students, couples, fans willing to talk to him, etc) about the criminals and their rampages, with no results.

“If this is a Persona related incident, then the person is doing a good job at hiding it!” Hidehiko shook his head in disgust. “Where are Igor and Philemon when you need them the most?”

While Hidehiko was in his thoughts and muttering to himself, he didn’t realized he bump into someone until the two were sitting on the ground. Hidehiko had to do a double take though. With his short hair, the freshman student looked younger than he was supposed to be. The kid was quite skittish; he almost resembled a kicked puppy trying to figure out how escape whatever trouble he accidently got himself into.

“Sorry…”

“It’s no problem. Do you need help?” Hidehiko stood up, and reached out his hand for the boy to grab. Despite his friends saying otherwise, Hidehiko considered himself a gentleman.

With caution, the boy grabbed Hidehiko’s hand. The older man help the boy stand up and-

_NOT A MINUTE IN AND I CAN ALREADY SENSE HIS PERSONA! WHY IS HIS PERSONA SO DARK AND ANGRY? WAIT…_

“What the hell…you’re behind it all?” Hidehiko quickly lets go of the kid’s hand and stared at him in distress. **Big mistake.**

The teenager took off in a flash, realizing that Hidehiko somehow learn about his secret. It took some time, but the older man found the kid in a back alley, trying to opening a app on his phone. Hidehiko snatched it from him before he could do anything else with it.

“Give that back to me! It’s mine!” The kid tried to grab his phone back with failure.

“Oh really? If you have nothing to hide, surly you won’t mind letting your elder look through it?” asked Hidehiko, talking a look at the app the kid was trying to open.

It looks like an eyeball. Hidehiko places the phone into his inner jacket pocket.

* * *

The kid ended up dealing with Nanjo, as Mitsuru Kirijo was busy (probably have to get the government off her back again). The interrogation was mind-blowing slow and boring since the kid didn’t talk for several hours (it was almost scary how he was good at being silent). Nanjo ended up getting a small breakthrough when he lied to the kid, saying they contacted his parents and that they wanted him back home. The kid’s reply?

“You have to come up with a better excuse than that.”

The kid -after promising them that he wouldn’t use his mystery phone app- showed them his contact list so they could get a hold of his ‘parents’. It turn out he was living with a foster family. When Nanjo talked to the two of them, saying that their son was in trouble, they said to keep him and send him back to the institution where he truly belong. When Nanjo informed the kid his foster parents more or less kick him out, the kid actually sighed with relief, as if he was glad to be away from them. It was here did the boy gave them something useful. The kid’s name is Goro Akechi, and obviously, he’s an orphan.

Knowing that the child was still a potential threat, Nanjo started to make plans to place him with another member. Hidehiko stopped him though, saying that he would volunteer to watch Akechi for a while. After all, Hidehiko wasn’t a heartless man.

_It’s not like I’m going to do it in the long run_ , Hidehiko thought to himself, watching Akechi carrying his backpack filled with clothes, and a box of his personal belongings out of the house.

There were no goodbyes, only cold stares and a passive wave from Akechi’s end (seems both sides hated each other). When the two got back to the hotel, not one of the hotel workers said anything to them. Granted, Akechi did stare at them with caution. When they got back to their room, Hidehiko let Akechi get dress first, since he was his guest for the time being.

“Why are you doing that?” asked Hidehiko, buttoning up his pajamas. The man had just return from the bathroom, and saw Akechi throwing pillows onto the bedroom floor.

“Well, you are going to let me sleep on the floor,” replied Akechi. “Right?”

“No, actually,” answered Hidehiko, picking up the pillows and places them onto the hotel bed. Again, he wasn’t heartless. “I figure you might want to sleep here.”

“…Thank you,” mumbled Akechi, as he sat on the soft mattress, feeling the clean bed sheets.

“I guess you slept on the floor in your last foster home,” commented Hidehiko.

“Yes,” admitted Akechi. “I’m used to it though.”

On day two, there were several more hours of silence whenever the two tried to ask Akechi a question about the rampages and the mysterious app. They ended up getting another break when Nanjo changed topic and asked him how he became an orphan.

“My mother’s official cause of death was sickness,” answered the kid. “She didn’t do anything to stop it before it killed her though.”

The kid didn’t answered questions after that. Hidehiko took the kid back to his hotel room once again. Instead of ignoring the hotel workers like yesterday, the man saw that everyone was giving them weird looks. It seems that Akechi took noticed of them as well, as he said something to him later on that night.

“…I’m sorry for causing you trouble,” said Akechi, as he slip under the covers for the night.

“What trouble?” asked Hidehiko, trying to get comfortable on the floor.

“You been getting strange looks from everyone since you took me in,” stated Akechi, shaking his head. “I was once told I looked girlish. Guess that means I resemble my mom. I bet the resemblance is letting people get the wrong idea about us.”

“I think you’re letting your ego take over,” answered Hidehiko. “You have to think that you have taken after your mother a bit too much to believe that. Don’t over think things, okay?”

The third day was the same. Akechi was still giving them the silence treatment when they ask him about the rampages and the app. Like before, Nanjo changed the topic and asked him a personal question, this time asking him what was his mother’s name.

“Her name was Fumine Akechi.”

Once again, Akechi didn’t talk after answering the question. Hidehiko took the kid back to his hotel room, and this time, the man realized Akechi was right. The bellhops and hotel staff were giving him disgusting looks. When Hidehiko came back to Akechi after taking a personal phone call, he saw the manager talking to Akechi about freaking stranger danger? Hidehiko didn’t want this to get any worse than it needs to be.

“Thankyouverymuchmam!” Hidehiko quickly grabbed Akechi by the wrist, and the two quickly entered the nearest elevator so they can get back to their room.

“I told you I was the reason you were getting stare at,” said Akechi.

“You make it sound like you’re proud of it!” snapped Hidehiko, as the two enter their room.

“…Maybe I am,” mumbled Akechi, giving a small smile at seeing the adult so flustered.

The next morning, Hidehiko checked out of the hotel before things got worse, like, you know, calling the police. Akechi looked amused as the older man dragged him away in a hurry, before the manager could get to the phone. Hidehiko rolled his eyes at the teenager, deciding it was best not to say anything. Hidehiko didn’t like how the kid was enjoying the mess, but the kid looked more alive in the last few days. Hidehiko could let it slide for now.

It was the fourth day did progress finally kicked in. Nanjo didn’t start with questions about the rampages or the app. Instead, Nanjo asked him this:

“You’re mother was a single parent, correct?”

Akechi looks up from the table, shock that Nanjo broke from routine. “Y-yes. That’s correct. She took care of me until I was five.”

“She died when you were five?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” apologized Nanjo. The man folded his hands together from across the table. “Did your mother have any family that could have taken you in?”

“Yes, my grandparents, but they died when I was only three. Even before then, they didn’t have regular contact with her.”

“Why is that?”

“One of my old neighbors told me that she overheard them fighting once before I was born. She said she remembers my grandparents yelling at her, she should have gotten rid of me when given the chance.” Akechi shifted in his seat. “She told me that what they said to my mother was cruel, and told me that if they were still alive, she wouldn’t let them take me if they wanted to.”

“Your neighbor seems quite kind. Why didn’t she take you in?”

“Her husband wouldn’t approve of it. He told her he didn’t want to raise a kid like me. However, he was the one that suggested I should be in the foster system instead of an institution for orphans. They thought I should have least have a proper home.”

Nanjo decided that was enough questions for the day, and told Hidehiko to take him back to the hotel. Hidehiko scratched the back of his head nervously. “About that…I checked out. Pretty sure the staff thought I was up to no good with the kid.”

After some recommendations, the two found a place with a bedroom and a sofa. When Hidehiko started walk towards the sofa, Akechi told him that he didn’t mind sleeping there.

“It’s the least I can do,” said Akechi, as the boy lay down on the sofa, eerie stiff like a log. “You took several nights of sleeping on the floor for me. It doesn’t seem fair that you should still sacrifice your comfort for me. You deserve the bed this time.”

“If you say so,” Hidehiko gave the boy a small smile. “Well, goodnight.”

“…Goodnight.”

Day five was just the same as the previous day. Nanjo asked Akechi personal questions. Instead of asking about his mother, he ended up asking questions about the kid himself.

“How many foster homes were you in?”

“About five, sir. I got passed around a lot.”

“Did you ever felt uncomfortable at any of them?”

“I think they felt uncomfortable with me, once they look at my background.”

“Why is that?”

Akechi didn’t answer Nanjo’s question. Instead, he turned to Hidehiko with pleading eyes. “Can we go now?”

The two of them didn’t say a word to each other until they got back to their room. Akechi just sat down on the sofa, as if he was thinking something over. He was like that for a good hour, and it was freaking Hidehiko out. The adult didn’t know what to do, so he did what most adults did from watching dramas and movies when they see a trouble teenager: sit down next right next to them and have a heart to heart chat.

“He’s going ask more personal questions, is he?” asked Akechi in a small voice.

“Yeah. Nanjo’s the type that wants to find the root of the problem,” answered Hidehiko.

“…Uesugi-san? I know that what I’m about to say seems unreasonable, but if possible, can you please make sure your friend doesn’t ask me an uncomfortable question?”

“I’ll…I’ll try my best.”

The sixth day was when Hidehiko saw cracks in the boy’s mask, and what he saw was something wrong, for the lack of better word. It was just like when he felt the kid’s Persona. There was anger and darkness that no child should have.

“I find it odd that when your mother died, your neighbors didn’t hand you off to your father,” commented Nanjo, folding his hands onto the table. “Did your father died before your mother?”

“…No.” “Is he still alive?”

“Unfortunately,” Akechi answered, looking at his hands resting on the table. He said the word with such bitterness and hate, as if it was poison.

“Unfortunately? Are your parents divorced?”

“He’s not in my life, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Akechi ended up giving them the silent treatment again for the next few hours. It seems that whatever problem the kid has with his father, it wasn’t worth telling it to the two of them. Well, at least it wasn’t worth telling Nanjo. Hidehiko got a few words from the boy before they went to sleep for the night that vaguely gave the man some sort of idea of Akechi’s problem.

“I’m sorry,” blurted out Hidehiko, as Akechi made his way to the sofa, head hanging low.

“For what?” Akechi turned around, and stared straight at the man.

“For the situation you’re in. I don’t know what you went through, but you didn’t deserve it. I mean, other than the fact you’re behind the rampages, and the fact you us involuntary kick out from the other hotel, you been a real good kid towards me. I’m not sure why your father doesn’t want you in his life,” said Hidehiko.

“He has his reasons,” stated Akechi, before turning his back away.

They got their answer about the rampages and app on day seven, but it came with a price. Things went to hell quickly, and it was all Nanjo’s fault. Like the few days before, Nanjo started with personal questions for Akechi to answer.

“Did your mother ever have contact with your father before her death?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“Did your neighbor ever contact your father to inform him of your mother’s death?”

Akechi narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think so. My neighbor’s husband said he didn’t want to burden him with me.”

“Does your father know of your existence?”

The boy didn’t answer the question. Instead, Akechi dug his nails into the palms of his hands. As he released his hands, Hidehiko notice the kid’s palms were slightly bleeding.

“Nanjo-,” Hidehiko tried his best to interrupt him, honest, as the man realizing that **this** was the uncomfortable question Akechi warned him about two nights ago.

Nanjo raised his hand to silence him. “Answer the question, Akechi.”

With no answer, Nanjo decided to ask him another question. “Do you know who your father is?”

“I do.”

“Can you tell us who he is so we can contact him? Maybe he can take you in and-”

“He won’t care if you tell him about me,” muttered Akechi. “If fact, he’ll just tell you he has no kid at all. He didn’t try to bother to be a parent for the last several years…”

Hidehiko couldn’t imagine how the kid was feeling for such a long time.

“He probably would have care now though…” Akechi‘s tone of voice wasn’t soft like before. This time, it was harsh, and his voice was cracking. “Sixteen years of neglect, and two full years of wanting revenge since I learned my father’s name. That was all it took before my cries were heard. Be it God or the Devil himself, I finally got my chance to get back at him after all these years with the Navi app. And now…”

Akechi suddenly stood up, pushing his chair towards the wall. The kid slammed his hands onto the table in anger. When he lifted them up, blood was on the surface. The young boy’s eyes look wild, as if he was about go berserk himself at any given moment.

“I only got the app in March, but it was only recently did I realize what I’m truly capable of with my powers! With Loki and the other world, I could have ruined that man’s life, just like how he did to mother’s and mine!”

“Why do hate your father so much you want to ruin his life?” asked Nanjo, standing up himself so he could look the teenager in the eyes. “What did your father do to you that made you hate him so much? What did your father did that was so wrong in your eyes?”

“He abandoned my mother because I’m his bastard child! That’s why!”

Akechi gave out a maniacal laugh that sounds likes he was close to crying. The teenager’s laughter did in fact, turns into sobs, right as soon he fell onto his knees.

“And now thanks to you…that’s never going to happen, it is?” Akechi looks at Hidehiko from his teary eyes, before curling up into a ball. “It’s because of meeting you that I lost my chance, huh? I lost my chance because someone _finally_ took notice of me.”

Hidehiko didn’t answer the child. Instead, he dragged Nanjo outside the room so they could talk. Things are getting out of hand for just the two of them. “I think we might need to call Reiji,” Hidehiko said to Nanjo, as they got into the hallway.

“I think that’s one of the few brilliant ideas you came up with,” answered Nanjo.

* * *

“First rule of being a bastard kid: you don’t talk about your dick of a father to adults that most likely won’t understand,” said Reiji on speakerphone, after Nanjo and Hidehiko summarized the last week to him so their friend could get a grasp of the kid.

“What’s the second rule?” asked Nanjo.

“Plan out possible revenge and act on it if given the opportunity. Not many get that far though.”

“Are you speaking from personal experience, or are you making this bullshit up?” Hidehiko didn’t have time for Reiji to make jokes right now.

“It’s a bit of both,” admitted Reiji, as the two heard him moving in his seat. “Look, you caught me at a bad time, Takashi sprained his leg, and his mother is already at the doctor with him. You know that I don’t like to drive while on the phone.”

“Just tell us what would be the best course of action to handle the child,” said Nanjo. “He’s still crying, but it’s only a matter of time before he comes back to his senses.”

“Well, first of all, you two have to make sure he doesn’t get his phone. I think his revenge to take everything away from father, and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to take what his father wants and has. Second, don’t let the kid be alone in public, at least for the time being. He might try to do something stupid, even without his powers.”

“Thanks genius, we already knew that. Any other helpful tips?” asked Hidehiko.

“I hate to say this, but Brown, since you spend most of your time with him, I think it’s only fair that you should officially take him in.”

“WHAT!” Hidehiko grabbed Nanjo’s phone, and screeched at it. “Why me?”

“Let’s face it. You got tiny bit attached to the kid. I mean, that’s what happens when you volunteered to keep an eye on him. So congratulation, Brown,” Reiji said to him, his voice telling Hidehiko he was smirking from the other end of the line, “you just became a father.”

\---

It took awhile before Akechi stop crying (another half hour in fact). When he was told that Hidehiko was going to taking him in from here on out, Akechi objected to it at first, saying that he didn’t need to be watch over like a hawk. Akechi argued that since they know his plan, it’s only fair that should just monitor him to make sure he didn’t get revenge on his father. Nanjo rebuttal the boy’s argument, saying they didn’t trust him enough to leave him on his own. They knew Akechi was too volatile, and Nanjo told Akechi he shouldn’t be left alone to his own devices (or get his phone back) until he proven worthy of it. The closest thing Akechi has to an opinion of his new situation was when they got back to the hotel room.

“I think things could have been worse,” said Akechi, as Hidehiko closed the door behind them. “I could have gotten stuck with the chicken prince.”

“You mean Nanjo?” asked Hidehiko, resisting the urge to laugh at that nickname. _Mark is going to laugh his ass off when he hears that name_ , the man thought.

“Yes. What’s wrong? Is it the nickname?” Akechi stared at him with wide eyes.

“I heard a lot of names for Nanjo from friends, but that’s a new one.”

Reiji must have called Yuka after his chat with him, because she was the first of his friends to congratulate him over the phone. She practically wanted him bring to Akechi the next time he goes to Mikage-cho.

(“I’m not taking no for an answer!” screamed Yuka, before hanging up.)

To keep things under wrap, Hidehiko phoned Mark himself about the kid and the new glorious nickname for Nanjo. Mark sent him a book of raising teenagers three days later.

( _It’s to make sure he doesn’t become a carbon copy of you_ , said the letter sent alongside the book. _One Brown is enough for the world_.)

Hidehiko was certain Mark told Elly, since she went to their hotel room literally the next day after his phone call with Mark. She even brought a gift for the kid: a Sherlock Holmes novel.

(“He’s such a _pleasant_ boy!” exclaimed Elly to Hidehiko, as the two watch the kid became grossly involve into the book. “To think that he would have such a trouble childhood though.”)

He wasn’t sure who told Yukino, but she too went to their hotel room to congratulate him.

(“If you never need help, you can always call me,” said Yukino, giving Hidehiko a friendly pat on the hand. “I can help straighten out Akechi-kun out if you need me too.”)

Hidehiko gave up on who told who when Maki showed up with a red velvet cake. Written in white frosting was ‘Good luck’.

(“Don’t blame me,” said Maki cutting up a slice for him. “This is all on Naoya. I personally think you’re going to be fine.”)

* * *

Hidehiko was glad for having friends in high places. The paperwork to be a foster parent and transferring Akechi to a different school would be terrible without them. Akechi didn’t complained about the transfer, as the transition between his second and third foster home went through the same if slightly longer and tedious process. When the school started up again, Akechi ended up fitting in smoothly. He was friendly and polite to students, and most of them were friendly and polite back. It helps that they didn’t know about his past.

When Hidehiko asked him how he was able to keep his past well hidden, Akechi explained to him over dinner that he keeps people at arm lengths. Close enough to have casual acquaintances, but no one to call him a friend.

“My real problem is the adults,” Akech admitted to him. “Once they find found about my past, they make sure to not let the other kids hang out with me, and they get away with being able to treat me like dirt.”

“Couldn’t you do something about it,” Hidehiko asked him. “Like, isn’t there a law about discrimination or something along those lines?”

“They would still ignore it,” replied Akechi.

Hidehiko was hoping that Akechi would talk to him more over dinner, but alas, it was not meant to be. With his new work schedule, it was almost impossible to keep up the dinner chats. Akechi didn’t mind being left alone though. Hidehiko learn that sometimes his mother would be busy with work, so she would leave him alone when it was time for dinner. As for his foster homes, it seems they just have a habit of ignoring him, so he sometimes ignored them right back.

“Why should you worry about me being alone anyway?” asked Akechi, as he left the table.

\---

As months went on, Hidehiko found Akechi to be the ideal child parents would love to have. He did his homework when told, he did the few chores the man assigned him, and he never asked for his cellphone back (Hidehiko still has it lock up in a box with other valuables. The key was with Nanjo for safekeeping). The brown haired man would have found the kid wonderful…if Akechi wasn’t faking everything.

Strangers might believe he was being legit, but Hidehiko knew the kid was acting (Akechi was damn good actor). After spending a week with each other in the summer, Hidehiko got a good feeling who Akechi really was.

“You can drop the act you know,” Hidehiko said to him one day over a proper dinner.

“What act?” Akechi raised an eyebrow, as he picked up his cup of water.

“The goody-two shoes act. You don’t have to act pleasant around me,” stated the man. “I mean, I know you enjoyed my misery for being mistaken for a pervert, and you literally had a breakdown inside the interrogation room. I already know you’re a walking train wreck waiting to happen. Why are you so obsessed with being the perfect ideal kid? Do you have some desire to be the son of an ideal father and mother you’ll never have?”

Akechi threw the cup of water into Hidehiko’s face. Well, he deserved that one.

* * *

After Akechi was done apologizing, Hidehiko told him that he would forget about the thing, just as long he starts dropping the act at home (best to start small). Over the next several weeks, Hidehiko learned about many things about Akechi. He was a fan of detective novels, as the kid bought more Sherlock Holmes novels, along with an Edogawa Rampo book. The kid was a fan of children shows, as he saw Akechi quickly change the channel from Neo-Featherman to the news one morning. He was even a fan of bicycling, if Akechi looking through a magazine advertising the newest bicycle meant anything.

He also learned that Akechi had a habit of watching ants. He saw that one day when he saw the kid outside on his feet, looking at the line ants matching towards their anthill. When Akechi saw him, he panic and ran like hell back to the apartment. It was things like that prove he was a kid.

Hidehiko eventually learned Akechi saw his father once before, and that he never heard his father’s voice. He unfortunately learned the hard way when coming home from work one late night. The television was on, and some politician had just finishing saying his opinion on the state of the country.

“Akechi? Did you leave the television on?”

When Hidehiko saw the living room, the table was flipped over, the pillows were ripped open, and he saw Akechi sitting on the ground, taking deep breaths. The kid’s hair was messy, and it looks like he cried just a few minutes before. In his right hand, he was holding a small, worn out notebook with numbers written inside them. On his left hand, he was holding his cellphone.

“WHAT THE HELL, AKECHI!” Hidehiko hanged his jacket on to the hanger. “Did you seriously break the lock to get your damn cell-”

The man only took a few steps towards him when he stepped on something like paper. He checks the bottom of his foot, and saw it. It was an old, crinkled photo. The picture was taken from afar, and the subject was a bit blurry. He was wearing a hat, and he was talking to someone that looks like an assistant. Still, Hidehiko could tell that the figure was bald, and wore orange-tint glasses that look similar to the one Hidehiko own. The man carefully picked it up from the floor.

“Akechi, who is this?”

“Just leave me alone.”

“How can I leave you alone? You just trash the entire living room! You just stole your phone back! You damn brat, do you _want_ to get into trouble?”

“JUST SHUT UP! SHUT UP, AND LEAVE ME ALONE!” Akechi covered his ears with his hands, closed his eyes, and whimpered. “He just had to go and ruin this too…”

Hidehiko walked over to Akechi, and grabbed the phone from his hand. Before he could say anything, he heard the host on the television talking about their special guest.

“-think Masayoshi Shido has the potential to become Prime Minister.”

\---

After the two cleaned everything up, Akechi told everything he knew about Masayoshi Shido. He’s an up and coming politician, with ambitions to becoming prime minister. Once long ago, he met and dated Fumine Akechi (or Fumine Akita, the name that she by in the past) for a year. Oddly enough, he was also engaged to a woman of high connections at the exact time.

It was easy to connect the dots why Shido abandoned Fumine and her unborn child.

“How did you get this photo then?” Hidehiko handed Akechi back the photo.

Akechi placed the photo into his lap. “I always look through my mother’s old contact list. There was this one number and address that I never understand. Both were labeled MS. When I was fourteen, I decided to visit the address to see who lived there. I even took a camera to take a picture of that person.”

“So the man in the photo is your father,” said Hidehiko, thinking back to the photo. It may be blurry, and the orange-tint glasses hide his eye color, but Hidehiko could also make out the other man’s eye colors: a strange reddish-brown. If Akechi took after his mother, then the kid was cursed with having his father’s eyes.

“That’s right.”

“You never consider calling the number?”

“I thought about it, but having that photo was enough to realize how much hatred I have for him. I didn’t want to hear that man’s voice.”

Hidehiko gave a sigh. “How did you break into the box?”

“I pick the lock. You should consider investing in a stronger one.”

Hidehiko ran his hand through his hair. “Why did you break into the box though? You were doing such a good job, and I was considering asking Nanjo for the key back.”

“I was flipping through the television when I thought I heard your voice. I stop, and instead saw him instead, talking about how the country is becoming terrible. I couldn’t stand seeing that man, talking about how he seemingly cares,” muttered Akechi. “I freaked out, and I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t crazy. I stole back my phone, and dial his number. I just finished hanging up on him when you came home.”

Akechi then glared a poisonous look at Hidehiko. “An you two sound exactly the same.”

* * *

“Hold on, Akechi _thinks_ you sound like his father?” Reiji was on the other line, and he was once again, inside his car. At least he wasn’t driving this time around.

“No, Akechi _knows_ I sound like his father,” Hidehiko corrected him. The brown haired man was outside his apartment, leaning on the railing. “I wouldn’t believe it if I heard it myself. After Akechi went off to bed that night, I decided to look through his phone. The number was still there, so I decided to call Shido from my own cell. Let’s just say he took me by surprise by actually answering his phone.”

Hidehiko shook his head in frustration and sighed. “I know I considered myself to be bless with a wonderful voice, but hearing it from this guy felt wrong. Besides, I think hearing Shido’s voice is making Akechi take his anger on him to me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“When I told him to have a good day at school, he didn’t reply back.”

“Well, you two did have your first fight. Maybe he thought you were mad in him.”

“I thought so too. But when I came home late, he just sulked off into the room, pointing to the food on the table!”

“Some fights can last up to a day.”

“It’s been sixteen days, Reiji! I can’t get a word out without him leaving! Mark’s damn book didn’t explain how to deal with sounding like an orphan’s asshole father!” Hidehiko stamped his foot. “Look, I’m thinking about asking Nanjo to get Akechi out of my care. He and Miss Kirijo are investigating some cognitive scientist and her research that might be useful to Persona Users, so I’m thinking of asking one of them after New Years. Does that make me a bad person for wanting to get rid of him?”

“Hell yeah it does! You’re basically doing what his father did to him!”

“I thought you might say that,” said Hidehiko, looking at the darkness in front of him. “But you know me. I’m the last person you least expect to have a kid. I’m honestly at my wits end.”

Reiji gave out an exasperated sigh. “As one parent to another, I know raising a kid is hard. But raising a bastard child is twice as hard. My mother doesn’t want to admit it, but I knew I was a pain in the ass to her. Do you know the reason why I’m friends with you guys?”

“Because you wanted to kill Kandori and thought teaming up with us can get you to your goal?”

“Yes, along with my mother asking Naoya to become friends with me. She wanted to make sure that I got all the help I needed. Kids like me and Akechi don’t have a future unless we have people to support us, especially when we need it most.”

Hidehiko heard Reiji moving in his seat. “Look, it’s three days until Christmas. Get into the spirit, and try to him to open up to you again. Make him see that you’re nothing like his father, despite the vocal familiarities. If that doesn’t work, then you can do whatever you want.”

“What the hell should I do in the Christmas spirit?” “Did he ask for anything in particular?”

\---

“That’s a bicycle,” stated Akechi, as Hidehiko brought in the newest bicycle on the market.

“No shit Sherlock,” answered Hidehiko, as he sets it into the living room. “I remember you eyeing a bicycle ad, and I realized I had enough money to buy you one. So…Happy Christmas!”

Akechi walked over the shiny sports vehicle. He places his hand onto the seat. He turns back to Hidehiko, looking at the man with bewilderment, his eyes starting to tear up, as if he didn’t deserve it. “Why you bought it? You didn’t have to get it for me. And well…I thought that you didn’t want to get me a gift after what I did to the place.”

“I almost didn’t,” admitted Hidehiko, scratching the back of his head, “but I wanted to get us talking again, after getting some advice from a friend that believe or not, isn’t different from you. Speaking to him made me think over some things I been overlooking.”

“Like what?”

“Like, for instance how you been all alone with a grudge against your father, and how you had no one to support you. Akechi, you have to understand that you’re not alone anymore. I’m not one of your old foster parents,” said Hidehiko, walking over to the kid, and grabbed him by the shoulders. “And just because I freakishly sound like your father doesn’t mean I am him. We’re two completely different people. I’m a beloved talk show host, and he’s a shithead politician. Besides, that man is like, what, ten years older than I am? He doesn’t even have my good looks, let alone rock orange-tint glasses!”

“…He also lacks your lack of charm,” muttered Akechi, giving a small smile towards the man.

Hidehiko quickly grab the magazine off the table, rolls it up, and playfully hits the kid on the head. “Don’t make me regret getting it for you! I can still return it!”

Akechi raised his arms to protect himself. “I won’t, I won’t! Speaking of presents, I got something for you too. I didn’t know if you still want it from our fight, but I still kept it, just in case we ever start talking again.”

The present, as it turns out, was a metal briefcase with the letter H stencil onto the sides. Hidehiko didn’t know when he would ever use it (after all, it’s not like he has a regular office job), but the day when he returned to work, he places it on a shelf in his dressing room, wanting everyone there to see it.

“What an egotistical showoff,” said one of the stagehands. “Who would want a briefcase with their first initial on it?”

_I would_ , thought Hidehiko, as the man walked away from him to get onto the set. _And I didn’t even have to pay a cent for it._

* * *

Hidehiko’s birthday was a disaster. Akechi made him a cake, but the whip cream was melting too fast, and the berries look close to their expiration date. Akechi’s present was a hideous argyle tie. The man didn’t mind though, as it was the thought that count. The party took another turn when Nanjo showed up with something Hidehiko considered ‘the worse present ever’.

After Hidehiko gave the man Akechi’s phone, having to explain Akechi’s second breakdown, Nanjo informed him the rampages cases -or psychotic incidents, going by their new name- returned with full force. “Since Akechi was mostly on behavior good for the last several months, these new incidents going on have to be due to another Persona User,” said Nanjo, tipping his hat to Hidehiko before the two parted ways.

Hidehiko didn’t mention that last part to Akechi when he asked him why Nanjo was here.

Akechi’s first year of high school soon ended, and before too long, he became a second year student. Most of the people he knew from last year were in his class, so Akechi didn’t bother trying to act differently. While he didn’t have any close friends, he was popular enough be unanimously like by everyone, alongside stealing the hearts several of classmates, if the anonymous love notes Akechi brings home with him were to go by.

“This is getting out of hand,” complained Akechi, dumping the latest love notes onto the counter.

“Uesugi-san, I can’t imagine how you deal with receiving countless fan mail. It must be a chore.”

“Not really. I have people that help me sort through them. Besides, it’s not all bad,” answered Hidehiko, as he picked up one of the letters and examining it. “It’s just one of the many perks of being me. Why? Do you want to get into the show business as well?”

“No thank you. I don’t think I have the talent for your line of work.” “

You were able to fool your entire class that you weren’t a bastard child. I say you have some talent,” stated Hidehiko, handing the letter to Akechi.

\---

It was June 2, Akechi’s birthday, did Hidehiko learn what the kid’s revenge plan was for his father. The two just came back from the store. Akechi was carrying a white box holding a small strawberry cake, while the man was holding a plastic bag filled with two soda bottles. The day before, Hidehiko learned from Akechi that he didn’t had a proper birthday since his mother died, Hidehiko wanted to make sure Akechi’s seventeenth birthday was something.

Something turned out to be a shitty party, since there were no decorations or anything. Hidehiko’s present to Akechi was some argyle clothes. There he realized the kid has terrible taste in clothing, if Akechi’s smile at the sight of the sweater was to go by.

Hidehiko only took one bite of cake when Akechi says he wanted to tell him something. The man could tell by Akechi digging his nails into his legs that it was going to be heavy stuff, so Hidehiko gently sets his fork onto his plate, and waited for him to say his piece.

“Before you crashed into me, I planned-” Akechi paused, took in a deep breath, and continued speaking. “I planned on helping Shido to avoid a scandal and offered to help him by using my powers. When he reached his goal of becoming prime minister, I would tell him and the world that I’m his bastard son, along with his crimes. I wanted him to feel ashamed and embarrass for what he did to me and understand how it’s like being hated by the world.”

Hidehiko wanted to ask him what trouble Shido was in, since there wasn’t any news report about him within that short time frame. However, Hidehiko realized that was a tactless thing to ask. Instead, he asked, “You wanted to get recognition from him as well, along with revenge?”

Akechi nodded his head. “There was no way he would even look at me if I was a normal kid. My powers were the only way to get close to him. That probably means I would have to get my hands dirty for that man, and do things I wouldn’t want to do. Last year, I probably would have thought this was brilliant because after all, keep your friends close and enemies closer. Now though, I think this was a very stupid plan. Don’t you agree, Uesugi-san?”

As a teenager, Hidehiko might have said to Akechi, “That’s not a stupid plan! Hell, I’m not stopping you for not doing it still! I didn’t stop my friend from killing his half-brother! In fact, I helped kill his half-brother!”

However, Hidehiko was an adult. Instead, he told Akechi, “You’re right. It is a stupid plan. I think it wouldn’t have been very fulfilling once you got to your goal. You get recognition and your revenge, but what are you going to do afterwards when the public goes after you?”

“That’s the part I didn’t think about,” said Akechi. “I was so catch up with wanting to ruin his life and for him to recognize me as his son, I didn’t think about my future after I gotten them both. To be honest, I still don’t think I have a future.”

“Well, that’s where you’re wrong,” answered Hidehiko, rubbing the kid’s hair until it was messy. “You do going to have a future, just as long you’re with me.”

It was right then and there did Hidehiko realize he was truly parent material.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (late) New Years! Remember my first author note about why it’s not tagged as a canon divergence? Well, this chapter is the main reason, as I had to figure out who should take place Goro’s original place as Shido’s right-handed man. If it makes you feel better, it’s a character from the game.
> 
> Also, just letting you guys know now, but when writing this, I used Joker as a placeholder because I had no idea what name to use. Before publishing this, I ended up flipping a coin to decide what name I should use (heads for manga name, tails for ‘canon’ name). Tails won. I’m sorry about that.

Akechi was off visiting Yuka in Mikage-cho. Hidehiko had his suitcase in his hand, ready to join him when Mitsuru Kirijo came to his front door. She said the two needed to have a talk, and the urgency in her voice meant it was serious. He took her to a restaurant a few blocks away from his apartment.

“So you think Wakaba Isshiki’s death was a hit?” asked Hidehiko, unsure what he was hearing.

“Yes. Despite her cause of death being a car accident, we believe there is more to it. Wakaba was close to understanding the Collective Unconscious, and we believed her research would be useful,” answered the redheaded woman, crossing her arms at the coffee table they were sitting. “We gave her our contact information in case she wanted to work with us, and she gave us a message that she willing to collaborate.”

“Her death must have put a damper on things.”

“That would be an understatement. When we tried to get her research, we were informed we didn’t have access to it. By the time we were able to prove our credentials, it was too late. All of her research was gone,” finished the woman, just in time for their drinks to arrive.

When their waiter left, Hidehiko spoke first. “I’m sorry for her death, and I’m sorry that she left a daughter behind as well. But…why did you call me for?”

“Nanjo informed me about Goro Akechi’s father, Masayoshi Shido. We have reason to believe he might be behind Wakaba Isshiki’s death and her stolen research.”

“What makes you say that?” The man didn’t bother to take a sip of his latte.

“Around last year, Masayoshi Shido was rumored to be in a scandal that would have threatened his goal of being prime minister. Not long afterwards, his rival turned out to be involved in it, clearing Shido’s name. That’s not all though. Despite taking Akechi out of the city, the rampages started up again. While some people were everyday civilians or criminals, some were also prominent members of the Diet or regular high-class members of society. In fact, due to some of the scandals regarding members of the Diet, Shido was able to make a name for himself.”

“Wakaba Isshiki’s death, Shido’s rise to power…Mitsuru-san, this could be all just a coincidence,” said Hidehiko, with a gut feeling that she’s going to be asking for the impossible.

“I know, so it’s painful to ask this on you, especially since you gotten close to Akechi-kun over the last year,” answered Mitsuru, giving him a solemn look.

“I’m asking you to let him out of your care so he can work for Masayoshi Shido. We need him to figure out if there’s another Persona User with his abilities.”

If she weren’t his superior, Hidehiko would have thrown his drink on her.

* * *

Hidehiko really didn’t want Akechi to do it (hell, even his friends –sans Nanjo- disagreed to the idea). Akechi was finally acting like a proper teenager, and there was no way knowing how he’ll get hurt. However, after Akechi learned what Mitsuru Kirijo wanted him to do after they came back from Mikage-cho - what he needs to pretend to do- Akechi told him that he wanted to help them. It was one week before school resume, when the two of them depart way.

“It’s my way of saying thank you for everything that you done for me,” said Akechi, as he was carrying his backpack full of clothes, personal belongings inside a box. “And don’t worry. Kirijo-san said all I have to do is to just tell her the names of the targets he wants, and it’s up to her and Nanjo to make it seems like I did what Shido order me to do. I’ll be fine. Just take care of yourself, okay?”

So once again, Akechi transferred to a different school, the excuse being he got a scholarship at a prestigious school in Tokyo. The transfer was to make sure he was close within Shido’s range when Akechi starts working for him. That day came all so suddenly, when Nanjo told Hidehiko over the phone that they got their first target to protect.

“What an asshole,” muttered Hidehiko. “He only just hired Akechi, and he got him doing his dirty work already.”

\---

Having friends in high places worked out well once again. It was November, and Akechi already earned the reputation of ‘The Second Advent of the Detective Prince’. Hidehiko learn about this from Nanjo over the phone. Nanjo told him, “Akechi said he wanted to put on show that everyone would remember for years to come.”

“So he asked for your help to make himself a detective?”

“Correct. Although, he originally insisted he wanted to be a well-known drama actor.”

“He really said that?” Hidehiko resisted the urge to laugh.

“He did. I told him that being a detective might be better for his public image.”

\---

Before Akechi left, he was ordered by Nanjo and Mitsuru to not contact anyone but them, so Hidehiko wasn’t surprised when he got no message from Akechi on Christmas. However, when it came to his birthday, the man discovered Akechi made a Twitter account (@CharismaticPrince is a ridiculous name), with the first tweet being a photo of pancakes cover in whip cream and berries, with the tweet reading, ‘I hope you have a good year!’. Hidehiko smiled. It was a clever way to keep contact, but no way was Hidehiko going to follow the kid. That might be stretching it. Besides, that was the only thing Akechi posted on the account.

Two weeks after that, Hidehiko was inside his dressing room, getting ready for his show to start. One of the new makeup artists came into the room and squeal. Hidehiko stood up to see if there was a rat or something. Instead, he saw the girl covering her mouth, looking at his briefcase.

“You have briefcase similar to Akechi-kun!” The perky woman was jumping up and down, clapping her hands as she did so. “Ooh, I can’t believe his style is spreading so quickly! It’s so cool that you two have matching briefcases!”

When she finished putting on his makeup, Hidehiko quickly got on his phone to check Akechi’s account. There pinned was a selfie of Akechi, sitting in his dressing room for his show (when did Akechi started to host his own detective show?). Resting on his lap was a briefcase, with a giant A stencil onto it. The tweet read, “I only wish I have a matching set.”

“What a little egotistical showoff,” Hidehiko muttered to himself, as he was walking towards his set. “Well Mark, it seems there’s another Brown in the world after all.”

* * *

“Did you see on the news about that train in Tokyo?”

It was April, the start of a new school year. Hidehiko and Reiji were drinking at a nearby bar, celebrating their kids were one year older. The two men overheard a few of the younger patrons talking about the latest disaster plaguing their capital city.

“I know! A train gets derail and over eighty people made it out with little to no injuries! Hell, there were no casualties! You think that someone might have died in something like that!”

Reiji shook his head with smile. “Nanjo and Mitsuru are really trying to make sure Akechi doesn’t get his hands dirty. If they keep it at this rate, people might think someone is behind all of this.”

“And they wouldn’t be wrong,” commented Hidehiko, picking up his glass cup. “I’m just hoping Akechi doesn’t get caught in the crossfire once this blows over.”

“He’ll be fine,” reassured Reiji, patting the man’s back. “With someone like you as their parent, I’ll say he can embrace any storm heading his way.”

\---

Hidehiko can’t deny The Phantom Thieves of Hearts are certainly taking Japan by storm.

The group first changed the heart of the pervert coach at Shijun Academy regarding his abuse on the members of the volleyball team. Very little attention was given to them then. Not long after the coach left the school, a website popped up, asking people to give request to them.

(“I would have ripped Kamoshida a new one if my daughter went to that school,” screamed Yuka over the phone, learning about the website via online shopping.)

They then reformed the heart of the plagiarizing artist, who abused the students he took while stealing their artwork so he can get more famous. The buzz around them got greater, but people still doubted their existence, if Akechi’s late self-birthday tweet meant anything.

(“I KNEW IT!” That was the first thing Mark said to him as Hidehiko picked him up from the airport. “I knew Madarame was a shady old man the moment we met!”)

It was a bit odd that the thieves changed the heart of a yakuza leader, and frankly, Hidehiko only found out when he overheard some stagehands talking about it on their break. Still, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts were just doing their job.

(“Don’t tell Nanjo I told you this, but he has reasons to think Kaneshiro is involve with Shido in some way or form,” commented Elly, when she was visiting his set.)

The more people they reformed, the more popular the Phantom Thieves got. While the Shadow Operatives are glad that there were more Persona Users, it did made them wonder what supernatural thing was going on this time.

(“Why do all the supernatural things happen to teenagers?” asked Yukino, as the two were waiting for their coffee.)

Hidehiko was with Maki when she asked him a terrifying question.

“Are you worried Akechi-kun is going to get hurt by the Phantom Thieves in some way or form?” asked Maki.

Hidehiko gave a curt laugh, and waved his hand mindlessly into the air. “Akechi is a big boy. He can take care of himself. After all, he’s doing a good job with Shido.”

(Maki must have known he was lying because one week later, Naoya asked him the same damn question.)

\---

As a celebrity, Hidehiko knew popularity comes and goes like the wind. One minute, Akechi is the country’s idol, the crown jewel. The next minute, Akechi is now a pariah and trash. With the Phantom Thieves and their latest victory over Medjed, of course the wind would change in favor of them. It didn’t help that Akechi showed his disdain on the group several times before.

Hidehiko felt insulted when people trash talked Akechi. There was a burning passion that made Hidehiko wanted to tell off the critics live on his show, but he got ordered from Nanjo to not even talk about Akechi (just to be safe). Even the makeup artist that gushed about Akechi before turned against him. It might have been petty, but Hidehiko didn’t regret firing her after her rude comment of ‘Akechi being a parental disappointment.”

Hidehiko was having dinner, wondering how Akechi felt on all of it when he got a call from an unknown number. Hesitantly, the man answered his phone. “Hello?”

“…Uesugi-san?”

“Akechi? Why are you calling me?” Hidehiko almost jumped right out of his seat. “You’re not supposed be talking to anyone other than Nanjo and Mitsuru-san!”

“That’s why I’m risking everything just to call you. I just wanted to know if you’re okay. The public has been saying unflattering things about me. I hope you’re not offended by them.”

“Of course I’m offended! Aren’t you upset by all the negativity?”

“I have been trash talk for most of my life. Uesugi-san, please don’t be offended by what they’re saying on my behalf. It’s none of your concern.”

“Of course I’m going to be concern! You’re their freaking golden goose for a while now, and now they’re talking about the newest hot stuff and treating you like garbage. I know these Phantom Thieves are the good guys, but seeing the public swing towards them hurts me. I just want to see the public support you again.”

“Unfortunately, it won’t be long before you get your wish. I haven’t told Nanjo or Kirijo-san yet, but Shido-san wants me to take out someone inside his own group. He wants to set the Phantom Thieves up for everything that I supposedly did so far this year. I assume it’s also for what the other Persona User did before as well.”

Hidehiko gulped at hearing the news of the second Persona User. He didn’t want to ask about the progress learning who that was. So instead, resting his head onto his free hand, Hidehiko asked him, “Speaking of the Phantom Thieves, what’s your true opinion of them?”

“Despite being the good guys, forcing criminals to admit their crimes still rubs me the wrong way. They’re taking away their warp desires from their Shadow so their real selves can admit the truth. I’m not saying they’re brainwashing their targets, but there seems to be little indication the targets’ Shadow are doing it on their freewill.”

Hidehiko gave a small sigh. “I’m guessing your stance is due to Shido, huh? I mean, if they were to target him and he had to admit his crimes by –what you call it- taking away his twisted desire, you would feel bitter knowing it was due to an outside force.”

“You know me way too well,” replied Akechi. “Yes, I would feel bitter. But you know, even then I’ll still take it. Shido confessing is better than no confession at all.”

“Speaking of Shido”, said Hidehiko. “Nanjo has told me he believes every psychotic incidents and mental breakdowns the Shadow Operatives faked. I can’t he brought them! How did Shido even agree to let you work for him when he has someone else is odd.”

There was a pause on Akechi’s end. “You know, I haven’t thought about that.”

Shit. Hidehiko just opened up the rabbit hole. “Well, don’t think too much on it, okay?”

“Okay. I have to go now. It was nice hearing you again, Uesugi-san. Once this is all over, we’re going to be a proper family again. Just wait a bit longer.”

\---

Hidehiko must admit that he didn’t expect seeing **that** when Akechi told him Shido wanted to take someone out inside the group. The black sludge coming out was a nice touch (if from the things of nightmares). At least this time people won’t think someone was behind it, and hell, Hidehiko even had to talk about it on his show due to audience’s demand.

“Getting Okumura to agree to work with us was troublesome, especially since we had to work around being spotted by his daughter,” Nanjo told Hidehiko over the phone. “He was the least of our problems. Thing are getting a bit more serious than we thought. Akechi just told us he’s trying to get into the Phantom Thieves’ group itself, and they’re considering it.”

Hidehiko felt the goose bumps rising on his arms. “Does Akechi have a death wish? He already is risking being a double spy for us. Now he’s has to be…what, a triple spy? If Shido isn’t going to kill him if the truth gets out, I’m damn sure these Phantom Thieves will do it themselves!”

“You do realize the Phantom Thieves are teenagers and have yet made any choices that prove they are capable of such things.”

“I know that, but they are still teenagers! I mean, we killed a guy when we were their age!”

“Akechi is going to be fine,” reassured Nanjo. “His life hasn’t been threatened by Shido so far. I don’t believe joining the Phantom Thieves could put his life into jeopardy now.”

* * *

When Mitsuru told him to come to the Shadow Operative’s HQ in Tokyo, Hidehiko assumed he was going to reunite with Akechi. Instead, he was lead to a meeting room filled with several people. Mitsuru closes the door behind him, and she and two other adults gave him a heartbreaking look. Seven high school students were trying their best not to cry. A black and white cat was rubbing against his leg.

It turned out he was call to Tokyo to be informed of Akechi’s death, done by the hands of the other Persona User sitting at the table before him.

Mitsuru and the Phantom Thieves’ leader, Ren Amamiya, told Hidehiko the events leading up to his death. Ren and the others Thieves presumed Akechi would kill him under his boss’ order, so he and his friends set up a trap in Sae Niijima’s Palace (“It’s a place that shows off the host’s warp desire,” explained Ren), hoping that Akechi would kill off Sae’s cognitive version of him. Instead, Akechi help ‘Ren’ escape, only realizing ‘Ren’ was a fake when the two found the cognitive version of Akechi unconscious. Akechi knocked out the fake, and told Shido he had taken care of the Phantom Thieves’ leader.

Mitsuru took over, explaining to Hidehiko that Akechi informed her of his mistake, and that she need to come down to Café Leblanc to back him up on his claim that he wasn’t really working for Shido to begin with.

“The whole place was in chaos when I got there,” said Mitsuru. “For a moment, I thought I was in the wrong location.”

~~~

_“Huh.”_

_Despite opening the door to the café, no one took any notice of her at all. All of the Phantom Thieves sans their leader keep on pointing fingers to each other and screaming, while Akechi was trying to break free from a red-headed girl with glasses, clinging onto his legs._

_“Who’s the real traitor then?” asked the girl with blonde hair in pigtails._

_“Maybe you’re the traitor!” accused the dark blue hair teenager to the blond with spiky hair._

_“Why would I be the traitor if I got my powers this April?” asked the teenager in return._

_“You could have faked your awakening!” The blue hair teenager turned to the teenager with dark brown hair. “Speaking of which, I found it strange that your Persona awaken in a Palace that is the odd ball out. Maybe you’re the traitor instead!”_

_“If I was, Sae would have known something was up with me when I was still in middle school!” replied the girl, putting her hands on her hips._

_“I just want to know who killed my mother! Tell me who the fuck killed my mother!” screamed the red-headed girl, tightening her grip onto Akechi’s legs._

_“Futuba, this behavior is unacceptable! Let go of his legs now!” An older man with a beard and glasses was trying to get the teenager off Akechi, along with a woman with grey hair._

_“Maybe you’re the traitor!” A young girl with light brown curly hair pointed to the black and white cat of all things. “Morgana, you say you have no memory, but it’s possible that you been playing us! You can turn into a van! Who to say you can turn into a human the entire time!”_

_“But I can only change my form in the Metaverse! Besides, I can’t exactly use a gun with these in the real world,” says the cat, sitting on his hind legs and showing her his front paws._

_“Did that cat just spoke?” asked Mitsuru, her voice drowning out all of the others._

~~~

Yeah. It turns out the black and white cat was a Phantom Thief and Persona User. Turns out Persona Users can hear him in the real world.

“I am truly sorry for your lost,” said Morgana, jumping onto the table to get Hidehiko’s attention. “In the end, Akechi was a good kid.”

~~~

_All of the shouting and screaming suddenly stop. Akechi stared at Mitsuru, and shook his head as if he was embarrassed by her sudden comment._

_“Crap! The pretty lady can hear me as well!”_

_The cat quickly jumped onto Akechi’s head, and just like that, the chaos continued. The teenagers when back to screaming and pointing fingers at each other, while the two adult now has to deal with not only Futaba, but Morgana as well._

~~~

“Can we skip to the part where we all settle down?” asked Sae, rubbing the temples of her forehead. “Not only is this wasting our time, it’s also painting us negatively to Uesugi-san over here.”

“Of course,” answered Mitsuru.

~~~

_After everyone settled down, Mitsuru explained the story how Akechi came into their custody, along with his involvement with their group. Everyone in the room gave the two a wary eye, unsure if they should believe them. Everyone except Futaba’s father, Sojiro Sakura, that is._

_“Not only do I remember Wakaba telling me about a woman matching your description,” said Sojiro, “Akechi couldn’t have been involved in her death if he was with his guardian at the time. Kijiro-san I do believe you’re telling us the truth.”_

_“Well I don’t. How do we know you’re not lying?” asked the grey hair woman._

_“You’re Sae Niijima, correct? The special prosecutor investigation this case?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“One of the targets of the Phantom Thieves was Kunikazu Okumura, who death’s was seen live for all to see,” said Mitsuru, pulling out her cellphone. “Now, when Akechi agreed to work with us, we made a plan that every psychotic incident and mental shutdown he was ordered to do had to be faked so realistically, Masayoshi Shido and the public believed them to be true.”_

_Mitsuru pressed one simple button, and handed it to the light brown curly hair girl. “He has been waiting to talk to you for quite a while now.”_

_The teenager cautiously grabbed it, and placed the phone next to her ear. “Hello?”_

_The voice spoke loudly, most likely since he wasn’t able to contain his joy. “Haru! Oh, I’m so happy to hear from you after all this time!”_

~~~

Kunikazu Okumura apologized to his daughter for faking his death, saying it was the only way that Shido wouldn’t suspect anything, and for hurting her personally for all of his wrongdoing.

Haru gave Hidehiko a sad smile. “It was that phone call that made us fully trust Akechi-kun. There was no way anyone would fake such a stunt.”

Akechi, while winning over the favor of the Phantom Thieves and associates, still had one more job to do. He was still trying to figure out who was the first person Shido hired, the one that murdered Wakaba Isshiki. Akechi told them he had an idea on who it was in his mind: a person Shido call Ace, one of the earliest members that joined in on the Conspiracy.

Shido and Ace got the last laugh on them. When the Phantom Thieves and Akechi went to take Shido’s Treasure -the twisted desire inside him- Shadow’s Shido had his other Persona User with him, guarding his treasure. No one expected that Ace was a random high school girl, but hey, Persona Users are generally teenagers. While Ace and Akechi fought, the Phantom Thieves ending up fighting Shadow Shido, who had not one, not two, but five phrases.

“It was like he was a final video game boss that makes you want to rage quit,” interrupted Futaba, before sheepishly going silent again.

Akechi ended up taking out Ace fast, a bit too fast in fact, but at the time, no one thought about it. He then helped the Thieves reform his father, and that’s when things went to hell. Just as they were confronting Shadow Shido, the Palace started to collapse. In the real world, the man had just taken a pill created from Wakaba’s stolen research when he realized his Treasure was getting stolen. Shido hoped it would destroy the Phantom Thieves, but unknown to him, the eight teenagers and cat grabbed the unconscious Ace. Almost all of them made it off the sinking ship when the unthinkable happened.

~~~

_“Fucking hell!”_

_The blond teenager turned back around to see Akechi on his knees, holding a hand to his chest. Ace was standing above him, carrying the sharp end of her spear in her right hand. Ace quickly ran towards him, but the teenager was able to dodge her and disarm her weapon._

_“I’m fine, Ryuji! Just let Ace go and get out while you have the chance!”_

_“But what about-”_

_“JUST GO DAMN IT!”_

~~~

“Despite his Palace getting destroyed, the two of us made it back to the real world. But the second Ace saw me, she started to flee!” exclaimed Ryuji, narrowing his eyes at her.

~~~

_“You’re not going anywhere!” Ryuji was dragging Ace by her wrist towards his friends, with the spear head resting in his belt._

_The blonde-haired girl with the pigtails, who was still crying, perked up her head as soon as she heard his voice. “Guys, I think that’s Ryuji!”_

_The others quickly turn around and started to greet him, but when they saw who he was with, almost all of them were scowling with anger. The dark brown haired girl especially had a murderous look on her face. Haru and Futaba could only gasp in shock as she and the others quickly ran towards Ace._

_“YOU BITCH!” She raised a hand in the air before the dark blue hair teenager grabbed it._

_“Yusuke, let go of my hand before I hurt you,” she calmly said to him._

_“Makoto, you got to keep it together,” said the blonde._

_“Sae told us that we-”_

_“Screw my sister’s words, Ann! This person murdered Akechi right in front of us. This person is someone Ren trust enough to talk too. This person is someone we see every day at school, and you want me to keep it together, knowing she been playing us the entire time!?”_

~~~

Ace’s real identity was Tama Hidari, a member of Shujin Academy’s newspaper. “If it weren’t for Yusuke getting to me in time,” said Makoto, “I would have smacked her across the face. I couldn’t believe that she of all people would be working for Shido.”

“I should have seen it beforehand,” stated Ren, glaring at the longhaired glasses wearing girl sitting in front of Hidehiko, her hands still in cuffs. “She was too obsessed with what was going on. Hell, she was one of the few people at school that didn’t mind talking to me! That should have been my first clue.”

“What I want to know is,” said Mitsuru, walking towards the teenager so she could stare her in the eyes, “why you decided to use your powers for Masayoshi Shido.”

“The same reason like Akechi: revenge,” answered Ace, before spitting onto the table. Mitsuru barely raise a hand before Sae told her she shouldn’t do something she would regret. Saeko Hidari was Shido’s original fiancée.

Two weeks before their wedding, a scandal affected her family, resulting in him abandoning them. If Saeko weren’t three week pregnant at the time, Saeko wouldn’t have left a grudge on him. Saeko, like Fumine, died from the same sickness of being abandoned by their lover. It was here did the two paths separated.

Saeko had enough strength to raise her child until she was ten. On her deathbed, Ace’s mother told her the identity of her father. With her grandparents dead, Ace barely avoided going into an institution for orphans, and was sent to live with her ‘aunt’ (actually her mother’s cousin) and her two kids. Turns out, they were on vacation when they learn of her mother’s death. Ace thought they were her savior.

In reality, they were anything but that. Her two younger ‘cousins’ kept calling her names, and said that Saeko should have abandoned her as well. While the aunt gave her a room to sleep in, Ace did all the chores and cooking. When Ace try to get her aunt to help her out, her aunt would tell her the she should be grateful for living with them, that it was only fair that she help out in return for helping an old woman out.

“As Auntie would tell me, ‘my bones aren’t as strong as were before’. Yeah right,” Ace muttered under her breath.

“Manipulation at its peak,” commented Yusuke, leaning his back on the wall.

Things worsened later on. When Ace turned twelve, her aunt started to ask her about the bank notes Saeko left behind. They were supposed to be for Ace when she comes of age, but the aunt wanted them for herself.

“Auntie always threatened me to kill me if I didn’t tell her their location,” commented Ace. “When I tell her I don’t know, she always slaps me, calling me a liar.”

“She sounds like a vile woman,” said Ann, shifting in her seat.

It was here did Ace got the app. It didn’t work though at the time though, so she left it alone, and didn’t think about it until the rampages happened during 2014. It was odd that low life criminals were suddenly going berserk. She became obsessed with the news, hoping that she could find any more information about them. When the rampages stop so suddenly, she brushes them off as random events that would never be explain.

It was near the end of summer vacation did the app work. Ace was walking around the city when it suddenly turned itself on. Not long after, she found herself in the Metaverse, alongside awakening her Persona, Lssya.

“The Greek spirit of rage and frenzy?” asked Mitsuru.

“Yes. It’s quite fitting, given my powers to make people go berserk,” said Ace. “It took awhile to figure out my powers out though. My first guinea pig was Shido’s rival, along with a few others. By the time January of 2015 rolled around, I was officially working for Shido.”

“So you were living with your aunt and cousins when Shido employed you?” asked Sae. She was sitting in front of the girl, taking notes of what she said.

“They didn’t suspect anything?”

“They did at first. I was working odd hours, and aunt started to wonder if I was dating older men. With that and the abuse, I moved out of her home in April. Shido pay for my new place.” Sae put down her pen, and crossed her arms.

“So your plan was to get Shido to become prime minister, only to take away his victory as you tell him and the world the truth? At some point in your plan, did you ever found out Goro Akechi was related to you?”

Ace stared at the woman coldly. “I suspected the existent of a half brother, when Shido told me to dispose of his cellphone last year in February. He got two unknown calls in December of 2014. While the second one could be chalk up to a mistaken number, the first call grabbed my attention. Someone cried on the other line before hanging up.”

Hidehiko, who was sitting next to Sae, stood up straight in his seat and bit his lower lip. Sae must have notice his uneasiness, as gave the man a sympathetic look. As if she was reading Hidehiko’s thoughts, Sae didn’t press further on the subject. Granted, the subject they talked about next was almost as worse.

“So you knew you about your half sibling, but you didn’t do anything to contact him.”

“No. I figure it was only a matter of time before he came to Shido. It was maybe late September last year, and said that he has the power of berserking people. Shido turned him away at first, realizing that he looked like his mistress all those years ago. I convinced him otherwise, saying that if things were needed, he could be used as our fall guy. He agreed to it, telling me it was up to me to close off lose ends when the time came.”

“What the hell? Shido **knew** Goro was his son the whole damn time?” Hidehiko stood up in anger, slamming his hands onto the wooden table. “You basically agreed to kill your flesh and blood like he was up for slaughter!”

“Why are you upset?” Ace jumped back in her seat, frighten by his sudden outburst.

“Uesugi-san, it’s best if you sit down,” Sae says to him, giving him a stern yet understanding look. “Listen. I know you’re upset that Akechi is dead, especially given the fact you’re seeing his killer face to face. But Hidari has to finish telling her story.”

“Thank you.” Ace gives the grey-haired woman a quick nod to show she recovered. “And yes, I’m willing to kill my own brother to reach my goal. Frankly, calling him that is a bit much, seeing that he and his mother almost ruined my family. Anyway, Shido made Akechi his right hand man, while I was watching from the shadows, checking up on Akechi periodically to make sure that he wasn’t ratting out Shido. I had some suspicions when he made a strange phone to someone one night, but I brushed it off. Akechi’s true slip was in Niijima-san’s Palace-”

“When he didn’t kill the cognitive version of me,” interrupted Ren, giving the teenager an icy glare. “I can finish from here. When Akechi stopped answering his phone, the two of realize that Akechi played you like a fiddle. When we made the calling card for Shido, the two of you planned to make sure that we would never get to it.”

“That’s right. Shido told me on the possibility that he would take the pills as a failsafe if I failed to stop your little group,” said Ace, as she turns over to look at Futaba. “We have to thank your mother for that. The pills wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for her research.”

“So you admit to killing my mother then,” said Futaba in a low voice. Her father holding her back to make sure Futaba didn’t jump her.

“That’s correct. I am truly sorry for your lost. However, she was just a means to an end.”

“ _Means to an end_? You agreed to murdered my mother!” Futaba shouted to her, with Sojiro still holding her back. “I know you have a terrible childhood! I know how you felt when you were being abuse by your relatives! I know that feeling of wanting justice for your mother, I truly do! But why did you work for Shido in the first place? Couldn’t you find another way! Was there no one there to help you at all?”

The scene quickly became chaotic. Futaba broke free, and tried to strangle Ace with her bare hands. Hidehiko was barely able to grab the small teenager. While Ace was trying to escape, Morgana was able to stop her by jumping on top of her head. Makoto got her wish and ended up smacking Ace in the face, before handing the girl to her older sister. Sae gave Ace a cold look, as she pulled the teenager out the door.

“Kirijo-san,” said Sae, dragging Ace by the arm, “If you don’t mind, I would like it if Tama Hidari would be place under my custody for the time being.”

“Of course. Please note we’ll contact you if we need her back,” answered Mitsuru.

* * *

Ace was quickly return back to the Shadow Operatives care. Turns out, Sae couldn’t use her as a witness since Shido’s trial was on hold for the time being. From what Hidehiko gather, there was a few remaining members of the Conspiracy they haven’t caught trying to make sure their leader’s ‘good’ name wasn’t tarnish, and so far, they were succeeding.

Then the true villain behind the curtain showed up. Of course there was a supernatural god behind it all. As the skies turn blood red, Hidehiko gave a loud cry to the heavens above him. Why was it always a god involved? Couldn’t the final villain just be a normal human being like Maki was in 1996? Did it have to be a god that ruined so many lives?

\---

After Yaldabaoth was defeated, Ace gave up the other remaining members and agreed to be a witness for Shido’s trial, in return for going to jail since she is still a minor. The rest of her time will be served under the Shadow Operatives, under the heavy watch of Mitsuru Kirijo herself. With her being a witness, Ren Amamiya didn’t have go on trial as a witness or turn himself in. He was able to spend the rest of his second year as a regular high school student.

“Kirijo-san said that she would be doing something about my record,” Ren said to him at the café. It was the evening of December 31, and it was only the two of them in the café (Morgana had vanished after the Phantom Thieves won their final victory). “I told them they didn’t need to since my probation was going to be over next year, but they said it was the least they could do.”

“That’s great.” Hidehiko was sitting at one of the tables, looking at the television screen. The news was talking about how Goro Akechi’s body still hasn’t been recover, and word among the police was that he was dead.

“Uesugi-san, can I tell you something?” asked Ren, taking a seat on the other side of the table.

“Sure.”

“I went to visit Igor yesterday. I asked about why Tama Hidari was given the app as well, if Akechi and I were supposed to be the players of Yaldabaoth’s game. He said that it was most likely because he needed a substitute if Akechi didn’t play his role right.” Hidehiko gave him a tired smile.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah,” answered Ren. “To think that there was a backup plan. I guess in the end, Tama Hidari was just another victim, just like her brother.”

Hidehiko looked at the screen again. There was a commercial for some toilet paper. Yuka was fond of this brand, as she keeps on saying it was soft on the touch.

“I guess I have to inform my friends of Goro’s death, if Mitsuru-san didn’t inform them already,” said Hidehiko, handing Ren some money. After his sudden outburst in the interrogation room, Hidehiko started to call the kid by his first name.

Ren walked Hidehiko to the door, and opened wide it for him. “Thank you, Uesugi-san.”

“For what?”

The teenager gave him a smile. “For saving Akechi. He told us at the café that he wouldn’t be working for the Shadow Operatives if you didn’t bump into him. If it weren’t for you, he would have been in Tama Hidari’s place doing all of her crimes. I’m not sure if he would be alive like her, but by meeting you, he was a happy normal teenager with a loving father, at least for a short time.”

Hidehiko gave the teenager a small nod. He was about to take his leave when Ren stops him once more, cutting the man off from his exit with his arm.

“You know, I remember this one day he was at the café,” said Ren, wagging a finger on his free hand. “We were talking, and suddenly Shido showed up on screen. I didn’t recognize him as the man that got me in trouble at the time, but Akechi took notice of him. I didn’t know why he was so interested in him. After everything that happened, I think I finally know my answer.”

“Because the man was his father, alongside the fact Goro was pretending to be working for him?” half-joked Hidehiko, wondering why Ren was bring up this now.

“No. I think Akechi took notice because he thought he heard you.” Ren removed his hand, and waved the man goodbye. “Have a good night, Uesugi-san.”

* * *

Hidehiko ended up spending his birthday going to Goro’s apartment to clear it out. The owner of the building was shock to learn that Goro ‘had a parent’, and gave Hidehiko her condolences. At the end of the day, Hidehiko was carrying two boxes. One box was fill with clothes, and the other box fill with books, figurines, rock climbing equipment, a sewing kit, and the grand jewel of all, the briefcase with the letter A on it. He ended up giving the bicycle found Goro’s bedroom to Ren.

“It’s too big for me to take back home. Think of it as a something to remember Goro by,” said Hidehiko, before leaving the café for good.

The ride back to his apartment almost took the entire day. Hidehiko could only do was look at the two boxes, wondering what he should do. The clothes could be given up for donation, while everything else could be sold off. As for briefcase, Hidehiko plans to display it proudly in his dressing room. He could make the words ‘AH’ or ‘HA’ with them. They were a matching set, after all.

_Now that I got that figure out, I have to clean out Goro’s old room, probably have to return the book Elly bought him to her, and maybe give his old stuff away as well_ , Hidehiko thought to himself, unlocking the door to his rather lonely apartment. It was only a few weeks since Goro’s passing, yet the hole in his heart still wasn’t going away. Talk about starting well in the New Year.

The man sets the two boxes onto the ground, so he could remove his shoes so he can put on his slippers. The man looks down on the floor to see that his slippers were gone.

“Where the hell are my slippers?”

“You left them in your room,” called a familiar voice from his bedroom.

Hoping that he wasn’t dreaming, Hidehiko sprinted to his room to find Goro Akechi sitting on floor, right next to the slippers. He has a bandage wrap around his head and hands. There was a scar on the left side of his face, and one purple bruise was on the right side. His dirty clothes was stain with blood, most likely his. His long hair was in a messy ponytail. Sitting on his lap was a fuzzy pillow, with the letter ‘H’ stitch on it.

“Happy birthday, Hidehiko,” said Goro, handing him the pillow.

Hidehiko took the pillow, and slapped the boy across the face with it. He didn’t say anything, only crying tears at seeing Akechi alive. After a minute, the man drops the pillow and pulls the teenager into a tight hug.

“How did you made it out of Shido’s Palace?” asks Hidehiko, still not letting go.

~~~

**_That’s it then? You’re going stay here and leave everyone behind?_ **

_Goro leaned his back against the cold wall. One minute he found himself on Shido’s ship getting stab, the next minute he found Loki shielding him while in a dark unknown place, with what appears to be bright stars shining around him._

_“It’s not as if I can get myself out of here. I’m not even sure where ‘here’ is.”_

**_No need, said Robin Hood. I’ll guide you out. Besides, you have one more show you need to perform to the world._ **

~~~

“By the time I got back to the real world, it turned out that Joker and the rest of the Phantom Thieves won their victory,” stated Goro. “I went back to my apartment to grab your birthday gift and some cash. I figure the best way to make your birthday a memorable one is by showing you I’m alive.”

“Yeah, about what, a week or so later! Little showoff! You’re even worse than me,” said Hidehiko, finally letting go of Goro. “Don’t pull a stunt like that ever again!”

Hidehiko and Goro didn’t inform the Shadow Operatives or Goro’s friends of the news until the following month, when the two return to Tokyo together. Goro got off easy. The seven teenagers (and Morgana, who apparently came back), bombard him with news of when he was missing (Goro is currently making a visit to his half-sister in jail, with Sae’s supervision of course). Mitsuru executed Hidehiko for not informing her sooner, while all of Hidehiko’s old school friends stood there, looking at his misery.

They all told him, “That’s what you get for making us cry for days.”

Hidehiko didn’t mind all the suffering though. As the man lay there on the floor, watching his friends talk among themselves what to give to Goro for his return, Hidehiko could only think how lucky he was. After all, it’s not every day your child comes back from the dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I admit to taking creative liberties with Newspaper Girl since she is a bit NPC? Yes. Was it close to the point that I should have just made an original character instead? Let’s say this is the Persona equivalent where people were using Blaise Zabini as an original character stand in Harry Potter fan fiction because no one knew anything about him until he showed up in Half Blood Prince.


	3. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue took me this long to post was because I didn’t like how disjointed it was, so I spend some time to make it smoother. I think this has the biggest creative liberties/stretching the belief of certain things for it to even work. 
> 
> With that said, I hope you enjoyed this mess of a chapter, alongside reading the whole fic. This took me lot of time and effort, and I hope it was reflected well.

It’s funny how life can turn out. One moment, you’re a celebrity with a popular show that people adore, with the media hounding you whenever you show up on the streets. The next moment, you’re a celebrity with a popular show that people adore, with the media hounding you whenever you show up on the streets because they want to know more about your adopted child you been hiding from the public for last 2.5 years.

There’s actually not much of a difference between the two.

It does get irritating though, especially since Hidehiko had been planning this particular visit a month after Goro was miraculously given back to him and the others. You couldn’t believe how many planned visits Hidehiko had to abort. It was summer vacation, and the two were in Tokyo, the two spending the week in a hotel under false names. Hidehiko didn’t want the chance of anyone finding out where they were. He was standing at the window, looking down people to make sure no one suspicious was outside on the streets below. Goro was sitting on the sofa, flipping the television to no specific channel.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” asked Goro, not taking his eyes from the television. I know you have burning questions you want to hear from Shido-san himself, but I’m worried about-”

“About me making a slip up on your unfortunate connection to the media?” Hidehiko didn’t take his eyes off the window.

“It’s almost half a year since I made my return, and reporters are still hounding you at work, and me at school,” said Goro. He puts down the remote and joined Hidehiko at the window. “If they’re going crazy on the fact we’re secretly a family for the last few years, imagine if they found out you visiting Shido-san. It will just add fuel to the fire to the conspiracy theories. I just want this to be done and over with.”

“Don’t worry, Goro. I already planned what I want to ask him,” answered Hidehiko. The man turned his head to face the child, and ruffled his hair. “Besides Sae pulled many strings, well -with Nanjo’s help- to make sure she and I can be in the same place. Just have fun visiting your sister with Mitsuru-san. Speaking of Tama, is she finally warming up to you?”

Goro scratched his head. “She’s not blaming me or my mother anymore for almost ruining her family anymore, if that what you mean.”

“It’s a big improvement though.”

\---

It was one thing to hear your voice doppelganger over the phone and panicking over that (along with making your voice doppelganger annoyed with it) It’s another thing to see your voice doppelganger talking to you through a thin piece of glass separating the two of you and trying to keep your cool. Hidehiko knew he couldn’t do that though. He planned this visit for over two months, and he wanted to say his piece.

“So you’re Goro biological father,” said Hidehiko, after what seems to be hours of silence (in reality, it was only five minutes), looking at the once high and mighty politician across from them.

“And you’re…Akechi’s adopted father.”

Hidehiko could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead. _I have to get this off my chest, thought the man. This is probably my only chance to ask him_.

“Are you naturally bald, or do you shave your hair off?”

“Are you seriously, Uesugi-san?” Sae narrowed her eyes at the man.

“I just want him to answer the question.”

“I shave it off. Is that the only reason why you’re here?” Shido glared at Hidehiko. “Are you wasting my precious time to ask me about my choice of hairstyle?”

“No!” answered Hidehiko. “I was just asking because I was genuinely asking. Besides, that’s not why I’m here. I’m here because I need you to answer something else. Goro didn’t want me to visit you at all, but I told him I needed to see you, just so I can have a peace of mind.”

Shido, who was looking down at his lap the entire time, suddenly looked up towards him, eyes wide with surprise. “Akechi’s alive?”

Hidehiko looked him straight in the eyes, and briefly turned to Sae before looking back at the man before him. “I guess she didn’t update you on the situation?”

“No.”

“That’s because you didn’t ask,” answered Sae, crossing her arms at him. “Even if you did, I wouldn’t tell you anything without Uesugi-san’s permission.”

“What?” The man gave her a frown. “Why?”

“It’s because of Goro, that’s why,” stated Hidehiko, giving the man a glare. “He’s trying to get his life back together after the world thought he died. All Goro wants to be is a normal teenager, and the media is in a frenzy trying to figure out what role he had in the madness that happened because of you! He’s trying to distance himself you from to the point he doesn’t want me to visit you as well.”

Shido gave out a scoff. “I don’t blame Akechi for what he is doing then. How is he?”

Hidehiko scoffed back at him. “You’re seriously asking me this?”

“I am. How is he? Is he doing okay at school? Is he passing his classes?”

Hidehiko raised an eyebrow, and gave Sae a ‘what the hell am I allow to answer this?’ look. With a curt nod from the woman, he turned back to Shido.

“Yeah, he is. Goro is actually repeating his third year though, at the old school he went to before everything happened.”

Shido nodded his head and smiled. “That’s good to know. If you don’t mind me asking, how did Akechi survived?”

“By means you wouldn’t understand. Then again, you do have an **ace** up your sleeves. Maybe you might have an idea how Goro survive.” Hidehiko continued to glare at the man through the glass.

Shido shifted in his seat. “Probably. He and Hidari’s powers are one in the same. He must have been able to survive when I took the pills. I have to admit, he is a smart child.”

“Nice for you to admit it,” said Hidehiko. The almost bitter taste on his tongue came out with full force with the question he wanted to ask the man. “Speaking of Tama Hidari, did you know the truth about her as well? About her being your daughter?”

“Not until the trial,” said Shido. “To tell you the truth, I honestly don’t remember much about the Hidari family.”

“Are you serious?” Hidehiko couldn’t believe what the man just admitted to him, and turned to Sae. “Is he being serious?”

“He is, Uesugi-san,” answered Sae, staring at the man behind the glass. “This is why I told you to keep up with the news before your visit. It was revealed at his trial Shido only married into the family for their high status, and that he barely remembered his fiancée.”

“Hidari was on the witness stand when it happened,” answered Shido, and shook his head. “She was close to tears when she learned the truth. But she had every right to cry right then and there. I left her mother and her family in their time of need. It made sense for her wanting revenge on me, let alone shows her disappointment on me for not remembering her family.”

 _Well, that explains Hidari’s sudden change of attitude to Goro_ , thought Hidehiko.

“You caused many problems for her, and now you’re paying the price for it. Now the world knows that you have a child you left long ago.” Hidehiko tapped his fingers on his lap. “Too bad the world won’t know about Goro though. Still, admitting that Tama Hidari is your kid is better than nothing. It almost makes up for all of your faults. Now if you excuse me, I think it’s time for me to leave. Thank you for answering my question.”

Hidehiko almost stood up from his seat when Shido tapped the glass. Hidehiko gave a loud sigh before speaking again. “What?”

“Do you want the reason why I suspected Akechi as being my son?”

Hidehiko gave a ‘what the hell am I allow to sit down again’ look at Sae. The grey haired woman shrugged her shoulders. With such a vague answer, Hidehiko ended up sitting down in his eat again. “I’m pretty sure we’re breaking some sort of rule, but you got my interest.”

“I didn’t truly love Saeko Hidari. Like Niijima-san said before, I only married her for her family status.”

Hidehiko tilted his head. “You’re saying you had feelings for Goro’s mother?”

Shido gave out a chuckle of all things. “I won’t deny I had a fondness for Fumine Akechi. Fumine was someone -for the lack of better word- I connected with better. I daresay it was the reason why I took on as my mistress. I honestly would have seen us lasting at least few years well into my marriage with Saeko.”

Hidehiko crossed his arms and clicked his tongue in disgust at the man. “What does this has to do with Goro?”

“I remember the day Fumine told me she was pregnant. She called me unexpectedly, saying it was urgent. When I got to our usual room, she told me the news. She told me that we need to plan out our future if we were going to get serious,” answered Shido.

“But you crushed her dreams when you told her you were a cheating asshole with a soon to be wife and cut her and your unborn child out of your life?” finished Hidehiko, growling his teeth at the man.

“As harsh as your words are, you’re correct. She was so angry I remember the face when I told her we were finish. Her mouth was just a straight line, and her eyes were narrow. We went our separate ways, with the only piece of info I got of her was from a letter, saying she gave birth to a healthy child and that she was leaving the city so I wouldn’t have to run into her.”

“And you didn’t have any contact from her friends or neighbors when she died, right?”

“No, I didn’t. I knew of her death, but I didn’t know about her child until Akechi came to offered his powers. He wouldn’t have shown himself to me if it wasn’t for something important.”

“Guess it was like seeing a ghost when you saw Goro for the first time, huh?”

“It was. Akechi was making the same face Fumine made when I turned him down. There was no way I going to let that boy into my life if there was a small chance of him betraying me. When Hidari told me Akechi could be our scapegoat when I got elected, I had her tracked his number down and made her set us a meeting. He was thrilled when I told him I reconsidered his offer.” Shido looked down at his lap. “I thought Akechi was happy that he got the fatherly attention wanted for so long, but I was wrong. He was happy I fell for the trap he and the people he was working for pulled on me.”

Shido then looked up to Hidehiko again. “Please tell Akechi I’m sorry for what I put him through, and what I did to his mother. If possible, can you ask him to visit me? I would like to speak to him about his mother.”

Hidehiko frowned at him, and stood up. As he started to walk away, he saw from the corner of his eyes that Sae sitting down in the formerempty seat, and was whispering something to Shido. Whatever she told him, he took it without complaint. Granted, Shido seemed he had a few last words for her before he was taken away.

As the two adults walked out of the room and the building, the grey haired woman turned to Hidehiko, with the same serious expression on her face. She actually stared at Hidehiko for a good while, almost as if she didn’t want to say what she said next.

“Are you going to let Akechi-kun visit him?” asked Sae, right before they got into the car.

“I don’t know.” Hidehiko shrugged his shoulders, reaching his hand for the handle. “Maybe, once this is all over. It really depends on Goro. It’s his choice.”

“That’s what I told Shido before we left. He told me it was merely a suggestion.”

“That’s all he had to say?”

“No actually,” answered Sae. “He says that he wanted to thank you.”

Hidehiko pulled opened the door, and stared back at her. “For what?”

Sae’s serious expression turned into an unexpected smile. “For being the father he could never be.”

Hidehiko stood there, as if he were hit from a bolt from the blue. There was no way he could say anything to Sae that show his shock and oddly enough, joy, at hearing it.

“You can show your gratitude by paying for my sushi plate,” continued Sae, the unexpected smile still on her face. “Your boy’s taste in sushi keeps my wallet light and dry. It’s only fair that someone repays me.”

“Well…,” Hidehiko slowly gave out a smile as well, trying to figure out what he should say next. “He does take after his old man.”

“I figure as much. Come on. We don’t want to keep Akechi-kun and the others waiting.”

With the two adults smiling, they entered the car, and drove away.


End file.
